Wanting to buy used car for home-office commute (Austin: for sale, insurance)

[Akhila]

Hi,
I am working in the Downtown area and I am changing >2 buses to reach my office daily. I want to buy a used (not salvaged) car which can take me to office and get me back without hassles and preferably give >32 MPG. This car will be my first car. What are all the tests/checks that the vehicle should clear? Which cars are popularly driven in Austin and available for purchase easily? Can I expect to get such a car for under $ 5000? Which are the garages in Austin where I can take the car for inspection (?)?. Plz suggest a good.web site for searching the car I intend to buy and tips for making a best deal for me.
Thank You.

[Aquitaine]

Autotrader.com or Ebay motors can tell you what is for sale. You will probably have a difficult time getting > 32 MPG on a car under $5000, though not impossible. Take a look at what is available on autotrader and then research the models on a site like Edmunds.com (be sure to put in the year you are looking at), and once you've narrowed down your list to two or three possibilities, look up the private party retail value on Kelley's Blue Book (kbb.com) which should tell you what you can expect to pay depending on the condition of the vehicle and the options it has.

Don't forget to get an insurance quote on it before you purchase it too, though for an older used car that's not going to be too bad.

As for where you can take it for inspections, plug in 'mechanic' to yelp.com and look for a well-reviewed place your neighborhood. Most mechanics are also able to do inspections (though some may not, usually the web site/reviews will say but call and ask if they don't).

[hoffdano]

I suggest not focusing on MPG as much as how much actual fuel you will use. That will give you more options when searching for a used car.

If your drive is 15 miles each way, then your yearly commute is about 7,500 miles. If you drive a 32 MPG vehicle, you will use 234 gallons of fuel commuting. If you drive a 28 MPG vehicle you will use 268 gallons. The cost difference of 33 gallons is $132 at $4/gallon. It may not be worth $132 per year to settle for a car you don't like.

Used cars are relatively expensive now. And the best efficient used cars like Hondas, Toyotas, etc. are especially valuable because they hold their resale value well. A $5000 used car is likely to be well over five years old and in the 100,000 mile range.

A few suggestions:

Honda Civic
Toyota Corolla
Mazda3
Mazda Protege (will be older but is a very good car)
Ford Focus (not as pricey as a Honda/Toyota)
Subaru Impreza (not as good MPG because of all wheel drive)
Scion
Nissan Sentra
Toyota Matrix or Pontiac Vibe (same car)

Avoid any Chrysler Corp vehicles in that price range. The quality is poor and they are not economical. Older GM small cars are not desirable at all. VW could be a good choice but their quality is not consistent.